Kentucky football dismisses Butch Jones coach rumor quickly

The University of Kentucky quickly denied an Internet report Sunday afternoon that the school has offered its football head coaching job to Cincinnati coach Butch Jones.

"I can tell you Kentucky has not offered the job to anybody," said DeWayne Peevy, a UK associate athletic director.

The Cincinnati affiliate of the 247 Sports network had the information posted on its message board by a member Sunday but did not feature the news - which would be big if true for the Bearcats - as a story on its front page. Also, the website later clarified that its staff played no role in producing the report.

Jones is 21-14 as Cincinnati's coach, including 7-3 this season. He was named Big East Coach of the Year in 2011 but has not quite enjoyed the success of his predecessor, Brian Kelly.

Kelly went 33-7 in his final three seasons at Cincinnati and led the Bearcats to two BCS bowls before exiting for Notre Dame, where his team is now ranked No. 1 nationally. Cincinnati tapped Jones, who went 28-13 in three seasons as Central Michigan's head coach, including 12-2 in 2009, to replace him.

Jones' name came up soon after UK coach Joker Phillips was fired, but hasn't figured prominently in the rumor mill more recently - although he is an up-and-comer who could help the Cats establish a recruiting foothold in nearby Ohio. That's something many around the program believe is key to competing in the Southeastern Conference, since only one school in the league is located farther north and Kentucky has a weak in-state recruiting base.